Sustainable frugality through EIA: role of socio‐ecological linkages in poverty alleviation
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bring out the shortcomings of the EIA model imported from developed countries when it is assessed for its focus on poverty alleviation in a developing nation (India) and to suggest improvements in the existing framework.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explores the current performance of EIA process in India, critically analyses the philosophy of continued sidelining of environmental protection in favour of unrestricted economic growth in the light of evidence regarding growing inequality.
Findings
The paper finds that for the proponent driven EIA model to contribute towards poverty alleviation, a new “socio‐ecological linkage document” is needed. This will bring out the fragile linkages that marginalized communities have with their local ecosystems and can be prepared with the help of local ecological knowledge. A framework to integrate the socio‐ecological linkage document into the EIA‐SEA‐SA domain is presented.
Practical implications
The paper shows that the supportive framework of generating the “socio‐ecological linkage document” has the potential to enhance the EIA‐SEA‐SA process in terms of ensuring that plans, policies, programs and projects are sensitive to the need of ecosystem dependent poor.
Originality/value
The paper proposes a framework to support the alternative thinking that poverty alleviation can be enhanced through preservation of ecosystem linkages, in contrast to the modern paradigm of economic growth at the cost of ecosystem.
Keywords
Citation
Rajaram, T. and Das, A. (2007), "Sustainable frugality through EIA: role of socio‐ecological linkages in poverty alleviation", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 556-567. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777830710778319
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited